Tax Levy for 2010

The Bancroft-Rosalie School valuation for the 2010 tax year has been set at $172,537,935. This means a tax levy of $1.00 will generate $1,725,379 tax dollars.
The proposed 2009-10 school budget has been completed and the General Fund tax asking will be $1,681,650. The General Fund tax levy will be 0.974655. The Bond Fund tax asking will be $50,500, and the 9-12 Bond Fund tax levy will be 0.031762. The total levy will be 1.006417.
The budget will be discussed and approved at the September school board meeting.

Enrollment Figure clarification

The enrollment figures used to determine activity classification for the current school year (2009-10) were taken from last year's September enrollment numbers. We submitted 83 students in grades 9-11 last September. We will be in Class C-2 for activities this year.
The numbers we submit this September (the last Thursday of the month) will be used to determine next year's classifications (2010-11). The current number we have is 74 in grades 9-11. That will place us back in Class D in 2010-11.
Sorry for any misunderstanding.

Option enrollment activity eligibility

This is the rule of the eligibility of option enrollment students.
Students who complete transfer requirements on or before March 15 and whose names are submitted to the NSAA by March 15 as transfer students shall be eligible immediately in the fall at the school to which they transfer. If the student were to later change his/her mind and not transfer, that student would be ineligible for 90 school days at the school in which he/she attends.
If the student were to transfer to the new school, but later decides to return to his/her former district before 90 school days have elapsed, such student will be ineligible in the former district for 90 school days, with the ineligibility period commencing at the start of the fall semester.
This rule does not affect freshmen. Their eligibility is established at the school they attend the first day of their freshmen year.

John Baylor ACT test prep program

We were pleased with the results of the ACT tests after using John Baylor test prep last year and will run it again this fall for students taking the ACT in October. In spring 2009, 16 B-R students took the ACT. The ACT tests English, Math, Reading and Science. B-R students scored above the state average in Math, Reading, and science and at the state average in English. I compared this years results to past scores going back to 2005, and the 2009 results are easily the highest.
The school has been able to pay for students to take the ACT once using Education Quest grant funds. Most seniors taking the test already took advantage of this opportunity. For juniors, John Baylor will be done in the spring and the school will pay for taking the April test only.The ACT is required for entrance into most four year colleges. Community colleges use the ACT or the Compass test. We plan to offer the Compass test on-line at the B-R school this year.
We will have several different teachers monitor the John Baylor class so that they can learn more about the ACT test and how to prepare students for it.
Here is the tentative John Baylor schedule:
Session 1 Sept. 8 6th period Mrs. Ras
Session 2 Sept. 10 1st period Mr. Grinvalds
Session 3 Sept. 15 2nd period Mrs. Bray
Session 4 Sept. 17 7th period Mr. Smith
Session 5 Sept. 22 4th Period Dr. Cerny
Session 6 Sept. 24 1st Period Mr. Hoffman
Session 7 Sept. 29 2nd period Mr. Zavadil
Session 8 Oct. 1 4th period Mr. Slaughter
Session 9 Oct. 6 6th period Mrs. Hennig
Session 10 Oct. 8 7th period Mrs. Ras
Session 11 Oct. 13 2nd period Mr. Zavadil
Session 12 Oct. 15 1st period Mr. Hoffman
Session 13 Oct. 20 6th period Dr. Cerny
Session 14 Oct. 22 4th period Mr. Slaughter
ACT test date October 24

Credit Recovery Program

Credit recovery is the education term used to describe students retaking classes that they failed. Many classes are offered only one period making scheduling difficult and limiting the students choices. This year B-R is implementing an on-line credit recovery program called Odysseyware. Since it is web-based, students can work on it anytime and anywhere they have computer and internet access.B-R has used other on-line courses like Plato and A+, but they were not web-based and the coursework was not very challenging. Odysseyware has a rigorous curriculum, the work is challenging for the students and in some cases may be more difficult than the class they failed because they are graded solely on the tests and quizzes from the program. The homework and participation in class do not factor into the grade.A few students are using the program right now.
Students need to know that they are responsible for determining how quickly they progress through the lessons. If they choose to put off working on the Odysseyware course, they may never finish and will receive no credit. Students can do the assignments at home, but the tests and quizzes must be taken at school with an adult monitoring. Judy Ross has accepted the responsibility for serving as the adult monitor, with technical assistance from Joy Nolting, Ronda Ras and Anita Bray. We are hoping students find that it is better to work hard and pass classes the first time.
Odysseyware also offers the opportunity for adults who have not graduated high school to earn a high school diploma. B-R is offering this option to anyone in the community. If you are interested, talk to me about setting up a schedule. Mrs. Ross can be flexible in arranging for test times.

Cuming County College Night September 2nd

The guidance counselors of the four Cuming County high schools are hosting a College Night on September 2, 2009 from 6:30-8:30 pm at the Nielsen Community Center. They have arranged for 22 colleges to be represented as well as the U.S. military. Education Quest will give sessions on scholarships and financial aid and Cindy Baum from Northeast Community College will have a session on careers.
This is the first year for this event and the five guidance counselors are to be applauded for their efforts. Anita Bray and Ronda Ras (Bancroft-Rosalie), Mary Janata (West Point-Beemer), Judy Wolken (West Point CC) and Cheryl Kreikemeier (Wisner-Pilger). This is a great opportunity for area students to check out the different colleges and parents to get information on how to pay for college.
The newspaper wanted some information on what students are doing after graduation. I put together the results of one year follow-up's we have done on Bancroft-Rosalie graduates for the past four years. The one year follow-up is done in October, after students have returned for their second year of school.

One Year Graduate Follow-up of the Class of 2007
Graduates 25
Attending a 4-year College or University 13
Other postsecondary schools 9
Armed Services 0
Full-time Employment 2
Part-time Employment 1

One Year Graduate Follow-up of the Class of 2006
Graduates 21
Attending a 4-year College or University 8
Other postsecondary schools 9
Armed Services 2
Full-time Employment 2
Part-time Employment 0

One Year Graduate Follow-up of the Class of 2005
Graduates 30
Attending a 4-year College or University 14
Other postsecondary schools 9
Armed Services 1
Full-time Employment 4
Part-time Employment 2

One Year Graduate Follow-up of the Class of 2004
Graduates 33
Attending a 4-year College or University 18
Other postsecondary schools 6
Armed Services 1
Full-time Employment 6
Part-time Employment 1
Foreign Exchange students 1

Panther Football Preview

The Omaha World Herald (rated #8) and the Lincoln Journal Star (rated #6) both have faith in the young B-R Panther football team. According to the World Herald, "Those sophomores that helped the Panthers to the quarterfinals last year have only gotten bigger and better." Howells Coach Mike Speirs commented in the Lincoln Journal that Clarkson and Bancroft-Rosalie will be tough teams on his schedule. The expectations are high for a team that does not return a starter larger than 200 pounds (running back Ryley Mohl weighs 199).
The scrimmage Saturday morning was injury-free and the coaches are in the process of making decisions on what role each player will have during the first game. Some of the players thought they saw Howells all-stater Clint Belina at the scrimmage. I cannot confirm this siting, but it does make for interesting talk.

2010 School Valuation

The value of land in the B-R School District went up 9.1% for next year. Most of that increase is on farmground, which makes up the bulk of the district valuation. Burt County had the largest increase of 19.9%, Cuming County land went up 9.4% and Thurston County land increased 5.9%.
The total valuations are:
Burt County 13,110,395
Cuming County 108,254,434
Thurston County 51,173,106
Total 172,537,935
Increased valuations lead to decreases in district needs in the state aid formula, so this will mean the district will be responsible for paying more for B-R school costs and the state of Nebraska will be expected to pay less.

B-R Enrollment is up

There are more Bancroft-Rosalie School students than last year. The class numbers as of today are:
Morning Pre-school: 14
Afternoon Pre-school: 18
Kindergarten: 23
First Grade: 19
Second Grade: 26
Third Grade: 18
Fourth Grade: 23
Fifth Grade: 21
Sixth Grade: 21
Seventh Grade: 22
Eighth Grade: 18
Freshman: 17
Sophomores: 34
Juniors: 27
Seniors: 24
This gives the school a total of 294 students K-12 and 326 Pre-12. The NSAA 9-11 enrollment numbers are 78, which would put us as the biggest D-1 school in basketball this year.

B-R Football Practice "Kicks Off"

Twenty-three players reported for the first football practice. Four seniors, eleven juniors, six sophomores and two freshmen. Two days of practice are required before players can put on pads, so the first day was conditioning, fundamentals, and running through plays. The "County Fair" conditioning was changed a little, now the bear crawls are fifteen yards up the hill four times in a minute and flipping the tractor tire replaced 10 yard sprints.
The team has four starters back on offense and three on defense. The schedule stays the same as last year. The first game is Friday September 4 at 7:00 pm in Bancroft versus Omaha Concordia.

Rosalie Old Settler's

Saturday was the annual Old Settler's Day in Rosalie. B-R teachers Mrs. Bray and Mrs. Schuttler were big winners in the door prizes. I got shut out this year after winning three prizes last year.

Pictures are from the parade- there were 36 entries. It was fun representing the Bancroft Fire Department and handing out freeze pops to the kids.

Rain caused the cancellation of the softball tournament, but didn't interfere with the sand volleyball. Former B-R all-state football players Clint French and Derek Archer were showing off their volleyball abilities.

B-R pre-schooler Kyra Bargmann was named the Princess and second grader Darwin Snyder was the Prince. The King and Queen were Rex and Arlene Posvar.

What are Jicama sticks?

Jicama sticks are a radiah-like vegetable that elementary students may be trying this year as part of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable program. This program provides Bancroft-Rosalie Elementary School with $7516 this school year to make fruit and vegetable snacks available to students during the school day. We plan to provide the snacks in the afternoons between activitiy periods.
A goal is to expand the variety of fruits and vegetables children experience. That is where the Jicama sticks come in. Since Jicama has very little flavor, the students will have ranch dip to make them a little more palatable. The fruits may include pomegranates, kiwi, papaya, and star fruit.
The picture is of the B-R kitchen.

Preschool playground equipment in place

The Rod Peters crew has been hard at work installing the new pre-school playground equipment. The plastic equipment has the appearance of a treehouse to match the nature theme. The required fence around the pre-school play area will be in place today.

The new equipment meets the state requirements for 3-5 year olds, which limits the height of the children can be above the ground

School Board meeting August 10, 2009

Today I want to share news from last nights school board meeting. I am sorry if it is not very exciting. The Bancroft-Rosalie Board of Education met Monday, August 10, 2009 at 7:30 pm in Bancroft.
My Superintendent Report consisted of the July transportation report, the curriculum report, teachers assigned out of endorsed areas report, the library report, and the option enrollment report. Twelve students option enrolled into the district over the summer.
Mike Hermelbracht asked if the school would transport the softball girls to Wisner on days when the team leaves early from school for five away games and asked if the school would allow the Bancroft Softball Association to raffle a autographed football during a home football game.
In old business the board gave final approval to new policy 607.1 Equal Access For Student Groups and Boy Scouts, and amended policies 126.2, 126.3, 386, 411.2, 411.5 and 527.1.
June Fox of Teammates gave a presentation to the board and administration. Teammates would like to increase the number of students served in Bancroft-Rosalie School and needs adult volunteers. Any adults interested in spending one hour a week with a student is encouraged to contact the school or June Fox.
In new business the board reviewed the 2009-10 budget. The General Fund tax asking will remain the same as last year. The $300,000 increase in state aid will cover the cost of salary increases, computer costs for the one-to-one initiative, and other new costs for the upcoming school year. The Bond Fund tax asking will go up $20,000 to increase the cash balance. The bond payments will go up $45,000 in 2010 in order to moave the last bond payment up one year. The last bond payment will be in December 2015.
In other new business the board set the substitute teacher rate at $100, the bus driver rate at $10 per hour and the substitute cook and teacher aide wage at $8 per hour. The board kept the activity rate at $4 for adults and $3 for students for home varsity games. The board also approved the school handbooks and an inter-local agreement with the Nebraska School Board Association and State Health and Human Services for Medicaid reimbursement.
Also in new business, the board approved a resolution to accept a $7000 Rural Business Enterprise Grant from USDA Rural Development for a wind turbine.
The board discussed a possible classroom/stage addition to the school. The addition would add two classrooms, some smaller rooms for the nurse, the speech therapist, and the school psychologist, two small locker rooms for physical education students, and a full-size stage that could hold a small bleacher for addtional seating at home activities.

Reading Mastery Training

The B-R hype was silent last week because I was at a Reading Mastery refresher in Lincoln Wednesday and Thursday. B-R teachers of grades 3-6 and Mr. Grinvalds also attended, along with three paraprofessionals- Mrs. Knuppel, Mrs. Suhr, and Mrs. Bovee. Sessions were taught by the B-R site coordinator (Ray Hall) and the implementation manager (Vicky Vachon) and several sessions were taught by Nebraska teachers using the programs. The most interesting news for me was the number of new schools in Nebraska who are changing to Reading Mastery and the Direct Instruction language and spelling programs (Reasoning and Writing and spelling mastery). At B-R, we will also be using the Direct Instruction math program in grades K-2 this year. These schools have seen the positive results that other Nebraska schools have been getting with their students and the want the same for their students.

K-2 teachers attend conference in Oregon

Five Bancroft-Rosalie elementary teachers attended the Direct Instruction Conference in Eugene, Oregon July 20-23. Mrs. Vogt, Mrs. Slaughter and Mrs. Wegner had the opportunity to meet with Kurt and Owen Englemann, designers of the reading and math programs that Bancroft-Rosalie School uses in the elementary grades (top photo). Mrs. Schuttler and Ms. Uherka also attended the conference. The teachers received training in Connecting Math Concepts and Reading Mastery from nationally respected educators. The math program will be used in grades K-2 this school year.

Neihardt fund-raiser a big success

The first Bancroft Beerfest Saturday August 1st at the Country Pub exceeded expectations. The fund-raiser for the John G. Neihardt Historical Site netted $3600 for the Neihardt Foundation. A total of 125 Beerfest participants sampled 20 different beers from Nebraska breweries and distributors. Since I quit drinking alcohol 20 years ago, I helped pour beer samples. Board member Paul Hammel deserves the credit for obtaining the beer for sampling. Thanks to all of the breweries and distributors that participated:
Spilker Ales, Cortland, Nebraska- samples of Hopaleuia
Empyrean Brewing Company, Lincoln- samples of Third Stone Brown
Gottberg Brew Pub, Columbus- Three different beers (brewer Jeremy Kirby poured them himself)
Modern Monks. Grand Island- samples of Belgian Blonde
Upstream Brewery, Omaha- Two beer samples
Nebraska Brewing Company, Papillon- Two beer samples
Johnson Brothers, Omaha- Pigs Eye and Dundee's ( They also attended and poured samples)
Premier Midwest Beverage, Norfolk- Samuel Adams Blackberry and Blue Moon
Budweiser, Norfolk- Items for silent auction
Nebraska Wine and Spirits, Omaha- Items for silent auction
Special thanks to Pastor Hale of Bancroft for providing samples of his home-made beer and talking about how to brew your own beer.